


Sometimes you need to go backward in order to go forward

by Alya_Selene



Series: The Eagle's Tale [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:15:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25093720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alya_Selene/pseuds/Alya_Selene
Summary: Ilias is given a second chance. Now it's up to him to make sure that what happened on the first try doesn't happen again.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy, Severus Snape/Original Male Character(s)
Series: The Eagle's Tale [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1198582
Kudos: 5





	1. A new beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer : The universe of Harry Potter doesn't belong to me.

I was falling. It didn't seem to end. Then, my surroundings changed. I was in a bedroom which seemed oddly familiar.

“Hello, are you me?”

I was startled by the voice I heard and I looked around before finally setting my eyes on a young boy. It was impossible. There was no way this could be real. In front of me, in a bed, sat my younger self. He – _I_ – could not be over six. I had always been small for my age so it was difficult to guess.

“Are you me? Aunty Cissa said that people could receive warnings from their future selves. Are you here to warn me?”

“Yes and no. I am you and I am from the future. But telling what is going to happen would take too much time and we must hurry. First, Lucius and Narcissa are our parents, our Mom and Dad.”

“What? No, Uncle Luc told me that was not my Dad.” I had forgotten how I called my father when I was a kid. At some point, it might even have been Uncle Lucy.

“They don't know. We were stolen from them, they don't know who we are.”

“They don't know?” He didn't seem to believe me. If they knew they would have saved us a long time ago.

“No, or else they would protect us. And _you_ must tell them that you are their son.”

“And you?”

“Well, I am _you._ ”

“What will happen to you?”

“We will have to merge. We can't have two Ilias wandering around, can we?” Well, we could if we wanted to create a paradox and destroy the entire world.

“No, we can't. Because if we do, only one of us can have what we both want.”

“I should have known that you already knew that.”

“Indeed, you should not be surprised.”

“I am not, I simply forgot that we share the same mind.”

“How does it work?”

“What?”

“The merge.”

“Oh. I don't know. I mean, I know how to perform it but I don't know if it will work.”

“You're hiding something.”

“I'm not hiding it, I've never been good at lying. I _am_ going to tell you, later.”

“Why are you here? What happened?”

“I can't tell you much about the future, even if I hope yours will not be like mine. Though I can tell you that I lost everything. My family, my friends. _Everything_.”

“Well, we have nothing. Or at least, we had nothing.”

“We had everything without knowing it.” We always had everything.

“What do you need to tell me before we merge?”

“Don't be scared of who you are. Don't hide it. Don't be ashamed of it. _Never._ ” This had been my one mistake.

“Why would I do this?”

“Because I did at first. I was ashamed of who I was because I wasn't the man my “parents” wanted me to be. I was different and for them, it was not normal, I could not be different. I was a freak to them. Something useful at certain times and otherwise useless and disposable.”

“You're lying. Severus and Lucius would have protected us. They would never have let someone hurt us. They'd rather die than let anyone hurt us.”

“Yes, but they had no choice. They didn't know until it was too late. And you know that I am a bad liar, I wouldn't even fool myself.”

“I can't believe you. They would have tried...”

“How can you save someone you don't know is in danger? They tried with what they knew. But it didn't work, it made things worst. So I stayed quiet. I didn't tell them what was happening. I did it to protect myself because I was scared. I couldn't change who I was and I knew that things would only go worst. I didn't think I had a choice. There were times when I thought they would kill me. They almost did more than once. But I couldn't tell. What would they have done? Who would trust a child? Who would _believe_ a child?”

“I... They would have...”

“No one would have believed us except Lucius, Narcissa and Severus.”

“They could have done something.”

“I told you. They tried. They tried to have custody of me but it failed because, to the Ministry, they were not family. But now, everything can change. _We_ can change our destiny. With the merge, I don't know what I'll become. Maybe that I will disappear, maybe that I won't. But I know one thing. _You_ will not have to go through what I've been through.”

I put the paper Severus had slipped in my pocket on the bedside table.

“Now, there is something I need to tell you. I am sick, I have contracted Dragon Pox. There is a high chance that as a result of the merge, you will have it.”

“Isn't it deadly?”

“It can be but the Severus from my time improved it, he gave me the recipe.”

“Why did he give you the recipe and not the potion itself?”

“He didn't have the time to brew it.”

We spoke for a few minutes before we had to prepare for the merge. I sat on the bed which had been mine and Ethan's and I looked around, not knowing if I would still exist in a few minutes. I looked at my younger self.

“Are you ready?”

“No, but we have to.”

“You're braver than I've ever been.”

“I doubt it. We're the same person.”

“You're right. Now, let's do it. I hope that your future will be brighter than mine.”

We clasped our hands and I started the chant the ancient spell which would merge our bodies and souls. At some point, I stopped feeling my body, as if I was only made of air. My eyes were closed but I could see a bright white light behind my eyelids. Then there was this bone-curling scream. But who was screaming? This was the unanswered question. Was it me or was it him? My body felt like it was being drained as if I was being sucked inside of something. Was it what the merge of two bodies felt like? In the end, I was overcome by the power rolling off of my younger self and darkness took over.


	2. Dragon Pox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something is wrong with Ilias and Severus is called by Lucius to save him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very short chapter, but the next one should be quite long. This whole chapter is seen through the eyes of Severus.  
> Updates will be uneven, I am sorry about that. I have to prepare my classes for the upcoming new school year and next week I'll be lost in some part of France that does not know Wi-Fi, or just a tiny bit, and I won't take my computer with me.

_Severus POV_

I was correcting essays when Lucius appeared in my living room at Hogwarts. He seemed panicked.

“Lucius? What is going on?”

“We need your help. It's Ilias.”

When I heard the boy's name, my blood ran cold. His parents could be awful with him. They would starve him for days and leave him to Lucius and Narcissa when he was so weak that he could barely stand. This starvation he had to endure made him prone to catch various illnesses. But I had never seen Lucius so scared.

I followed him and we flooed to Malfoy Manor. We went to the boy's bedroom and I froze at the sight which greeted me. Narcissa was standing next to the bed while, on the sheets, Ilias' body seemed torn, broken. Suddenly he arched, his back not touching the bed and he screamed. Merlin, what a scream. I had heard people screaming, people who were tortured, but this, this was beyond anything I had ever heard. His body looked green.

“We heard him scream so we rushed here and he seemed fine until he started screaming again and his body turned greenish.”

“It's Dragon Pox.”

“What? But how? He was never close to anyone who had it. And I have never seen such a strong reaction.”

“Me neither. But Ilias is young, and starved. His body is not as strong as it should be. Get out, it's contagious.”

They left and I transfigured two pillows into gloves and a mask. I put them on and I sat on the bed. I touched his forehead. It was burning hot. Ilias suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed my wrists with a strength no child could have. I could not free my hand nor could I look away. His eyes seemed to shimmer, something seemed to move behind them, as if there was something living inside of them. But then I blinked and this moving thing had disappeared. I looked around and I saw a piece of paper on the bedside table. I was surprised to discover that it was the recipe of a cure agaisnt Dragon Pox. But I was even more surprised to recognise my own handwriting. On the back of the paper, there were a few words which had been quickly added.

“ _Dear me,_

_I know how it must look to you, but I feel like you should know the truth, someone has to. I don't know which year it is, but know that the man or boy lying in the bed next to you has been through hell. He might be young, but he is strong. Stronger than us. What you need to know is that the future we had was not worth living for. One of us had to go back. I wanted him to have one more chance, to start over. He will be unsure about everything, about what is given to him. He will be scared about his life being taken back. He will certainly not remember his past life, the life he had with me, because of the merge. Make sure he is loved and knows he is. Love him, never let him down, never reject him. Smile at him, show him that he makes you happy. And one more thing, don't trust Dumbledore. Tell no one about this._

_Severus Snape-Prince”_

Now I was confused. This note had obviously been written by myself, but according to the message, the man was me but from the future, and so was Ilias. Wait, no. The note said something about a “merge”. It must mean that my Ilias and his had been combined inside of one body. Lucius said that Ilias had not been in contact with someone with Dragon Pox so it must mean that it was the Ilias from the future who had it hence the recipe of the cure certainly written by my future self.

It took me some time to prepare the cure Ilias needed but I managed to do it. Meanwhile, Ilias' condition had worsened and I had to spell the potion inside of his body. I waited by his bed, hoping that the cure created by my future self would work. Ilias was weaker than any child when it came to his health. He was so small and thin for his age that it was a wonder he could have such a “normal” childhood, when he was out of his parents' reach.

The third morning after I had given him the curse, he opened his eyes. He smiled at me and I found myself answering to this smile, without being able to control myself. He had survived and I was happy that he was still with us, Dragon Pox could be deadly.

“I'll tell Lucius and Narcissa that you are awake and cured.”

“Sev'...”

I was surprised to hear call me by that name, it was the first time as he would usually call me Uncle Sev or Uncle Severus, but never Sev' alone.

“Ilias?”

“Thank you. For staying with me and for curing me.”

“You're welcome.”

I kissed his forehead and I left the room.

_End of Severus POV_

**Author's Note:**

> I'll try to upload the second part from time to time, but first I have to put everything on my computer because most of the story is in a notebook and I'm still writing it.


End file.
